€843 Million for Notre-Dame, Decay for Thousands of Others: France’s Village Churches Have No One Left to Use Them

• Notre-Dame’s restoration drew €843 million in private donations
• France has more than 42,000 Catholic churches, about 95 per cent publicly owned
• Between 3,000 and 5,000 religious buildings are thought to be endangered
• A €200 million appeal for smaller parishes had raised €16.7 million by November 2024

While Notre-Dame de Paris reopened after a record fundraising effort, thousands of France’s other churches are decaying, The Art Newspaper reported in December 2024.

Notre-Dame’s restoration attracted €843 million in private donations. By contrast, France’s 42,000-plus Catholic churches, about 95 per cent of them publicly owned, face rural depopulation and a lack of money. A 2024 survey by the Conference of Bishops of France found that 326 parish churches and 411 other diocesan churches had been deconsecrated since 1905, 72 churches had been demolished since 2000 and 1,679 are closed all year. Between 3,000 and 5,000 religious buildings are thought to be endangered. A four-year appeal to raise €200 million for smaller parishes had reached €16.7 million by November 2024.

Bishop Alain Planet said the real issue was depopulation: “Talking about deconsecration doesn’t account for the larger problem…there are no inhabitants left to use them.” The report cited Félines-sur-Rimandoule, with one parishioner, and Mézilhac, with 67 residents and two churches to maintain. The 13th-century Narbonne Cathedral, taller than Notre-Dame, relies on a commune of about 60,000 people.

Listed buildings receive 25 to 50 per cent of their funding from central government, while unlisted churches must find private or other public money.

The contrast between Notre-Dame and France’s village churches mirrors Jamaica’s heritage: a few famous churches attract attention and funds, while many rural churches decay unnoticed. As Jamaica’s rural population ages and moves to towns or abroad, some churches may have almost no one left to use them. Diaspora giving directed at home-parish churches, and clear plans for which buildings to save, will matter more each year.

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